The Religious Subject Matter of Jesuit Dramas from the mid-18th Century (On the Example of Jan Bielski’s Works)

Abstract

The article focuses upon the religious subject matter of Jesuit dramas from the 18th century, discussed on the example of works of Jan Bielski. Bielski was a representative of the generation of dramatists who initiated transformation of Jesuit theatre. Religious issues were still a predominant feature in Jesuit tragedies from the 18th century. Bielski subordinated them to Jesuits’ new educational trends. The author incorporated religious themes into dramatic conflicts. However, he closely connected religious issues with secular ones. In some tragedies, religious issues were predominant, in others they coexisted with the historical subject matter and completed it significantly. Bielski also used the earlier tradition of a morality play, but he supplemented the scheme with emotions and tenderness. It corresponded to the new classical aesthetics. Religious issues became part of theatre’s moralizing purpose. At the same time, Bielski’s dramas reflected the changes which occurred in Jesuit theatre’s perception of religiousnesses.